Dear Children;
Another subject that my gracious Elohim has been layering into my life is concerning the sign of the start of the new month or new moon. It’s funny that in my mind until this day that having two Fathers and the struggle to understand how to know the yearly and month calendar of Elohim wasn’t ‘connected’ in my mind.
There are so very many ways that sincere people try to determine the calnedar of יהוה that I’m sure my list here will exclude a method or two:
Spring equinox plus the next new moon or dark moon; Full moon calendar; Lunar Sabbaths; Rabbinical calculated calendar; Karaite Calendar, and on and on goes the list. But what if this lack of equal days in a month and the different circuits of the sun and the moon all serve a specific purpose of אלהים? What if it is a sign that is speaking something very important to us and we have not yet recognised it? That’s what I want to share with you, what I believe was shared with me and is one of the mysteries of the Messiah.
Again Spirit of Elohim knit the pieces together for me; piece here and a piece there, always in context. He is such a Master Artist.
We are headed back to ‘the beginning’ ּ….Genesis….. ב׳ראשית …
Isaiah 46:9 Remember the former things of old: for I am אל, and there is none else; I am אלהים, and there is none like me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
I believe we have been given two Fathers, two Creators, or Elohim. Really The Elohim, which is more of a title than a name.
אלהים : in Hebrew ים (im) is a masculine plural ending. Meaning more than ‘one’ either a male and female or both males. Much like many language spoken today, if the audience you are addressing is a mixed gender group of people they would all be addressed with a masculine plural pronoun and/or verb. If the audience is ninety-nine women and one man they are addressed in the masculine plural word endings. So it is with the term Elohim, a masculine plural ending to describe our Yah.
The story of Adam’s creation reaffirms this.
Genesis 1:26a And אלהים said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: …..
In the Hebrew language:
ויאמר אלהים נעשה אדמ בצלמנו כדמותנו
Now, I don’t believe Adam to be a plural word, but I do believe the mem sofit ם of the final letter of the word Adam/man to be purposely used in the Hebrew spelling of the word for man. We will see why in the next verse.
Gen 1:27 So Elohim created man in his image, in the image of Elohim created he him; male and female, created he them.
ויברא אלהים את האדם בצלמו בזלם אלהים ברא אתו זכר ונקבה ברא אתמ
In Hebrew this literally read: ‘and created Elohim THE ADAM‘ …..remember we are created in the image of Elohim or THE ELOHIM……’Elohim created masculine and feminine them (atem) אתמ‘….who? The Adam. The Adam was created plural just as Elohim was an ‘us’ and ‘our’ in verse twenty-seven.
Let’s return for a closer look at Genesis 1:27a
Gen 1:27 Let us make man in our image:
צלם shade phantom illusion resemblance; figure. See 2 Cor 3:18,
after our likeness;
דמות likeness or model; Etymological Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (EDBH) root .ד.מ.ה to resemble; specifically in this passage the meaning is: being similar as in loosing distinctiveness. root word: cover, complete form specifically in Gen 1:26 covering outer form)
The Adam was created in the image of The Elohim to the point that The Adam was the exact likeness of The Elohim, The Adam were not distinct from The Elohim. In the beginning the form of The Adam was masculine and feminine, echad (together) in one breathing unit.
Likeness דמה ; Adam אדם. Both of the words share a dalet ד and a mem מ,ם. If we put the to words together אדמח, we have created the word for ‘earth’, the substance we were formed from. That was just a little rabbit trail of etymology that I couldn’t resist.
So far we have established that a masculine and a feminine resided in the single unit body of The Adam. and that this unit was created in the exact image of The Elohim. Let’s go to the Gospel of John chapter one:
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
This begs to be looked at in Hebrew:
John 1:1 בְּרֵאשִׁית הָיָה הַדָּבָר וְהַדָּבָר הָיָה אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִים וְהוּא הַדָּבָר הָיָה אֱלֹהִים׃
In the beginning was the Word and the Word was Elohim and He the Word was Elohim.
John 1:2 הוּא הָיָה מֵרֹאשׁ אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִים
He was from the head (start, origin) Elohim
John 1:3 כָּל־הַמַּעֲשִׂים נִהְיוּ עַל־יָדוֹ וְאֵין דָּבָר אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה מִבַּלְעָדָיו׃
All that was made was by Him and where there is no Word nothing was made
John 1:4 בּוֹ נִמְצָא חַיִּים וְהַחַיִּים הֵם אוֹר הָאָדָם׃
in which remains life and the life is the light of The Adam
Back to Genesis:
Gen 2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon The Adam, and he slept and he took on of his ribs
צלע; EDBH reel, turn to the side; specifically side for Gen 2:21
and (לקח) closed up the flesh instead there of; 22 And the rib which the LORD God had taken
la-kach take/receive—used to indicate Marriage in Gen 4:19 when Lamech ‘took’ two wives)
from The Adam, made he
בנה build; form; root EMHD used in forming, having children, endowing, sons. Comment: Eve was born from Adam)
a woman, and brought her unto The Adam. 23 And The Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called woman
מאיש m’eesh to be extant (to stand out above a surface) EDBH .א.י.ש withstand; exist 1: man with proven character 2: woman complementing man 3: exist
This is saying literally she shall be called: from-man
because she was taken out of man (איש).
No longer was creation The Adam, they were איש (eesh) and מ׳איש
Was there a day that The Elohim released a side or a part of his being and that part became from-Elohim?
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Psalms 2:7 I will declare the decree: יהוה hath said unto me, Thou are my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
Hebrews 1:5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? 6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
Hebrews 5: 5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.
There was a ‘day’ when the Word of Elohim was separated from The Elohim and was given flesh to dwell among men. The us or The Elohim of Genesis chapter one and verse twenty-seven separated into two distinct units, one of which was extant (to stand out above a surface) from the origin (rosh).
The Father and the Son are the Two Fathers mentioned through scriptures.
Did you ever notice there are no grandfathers or grandmothers mentioned in the bible? There were only fathers and mothers. Even יהוה told Abram: And thou shalt go to the fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. Genesis 15:15. While it may seem strange to modern language speakers today in the ancient culture of the bible and even in the days of the Messiah’s ministry on earth speaking of a distant grandfather as a father was the normal way of speaking.
Matthew 3:9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
When we read about Abram and Sarai we see that Abram calls Sarai his sister in Genesis 12 and Genesis 20, but explain the usage of this term in Genesis 20:12:
And yet indeed she is my sister; she is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became by wife.
Abram and Sarai shared a common father in their family tree. Isaac called Rebekah his sister, they too shared a common father in their family tree.
Gen 26: 7 And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon. 8 And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife.
El has always been recognised as the father of humanity:
Malachi 2:10 Have we not all one father? Hath not one El created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?
Malachi 3:7 Even from the days of your fathers ye have gone away from my ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith יהוהof hosts. But ye say, Where in shall we return?……. Malachi 4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers (The Elohim) to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers (The Elohim), lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. (also see Luke 1:17)
John 7:22 Moses therefore gave unto you circumcision; (not because it is of Moses, but of the fathers: {Elohim}) and ye on the sabbath day circumcise a man.
What fathers gave circumcision to Abraham? The Elohim, circumcision did not exist before Abraham:
Genesis 17:9 And (the) אלהים said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
Romans 9:3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Messiah for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh 4 Who are Israelites (Ephraim); to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service, and the promises 5 Whose are the fathers (the Elohim) , and of whom as concerning the flesh, Messiah, who is over all (Elohim) God blessed for ever.
Romans 11:28 As concerning the gospel (good message of Messiah), they are enemies for your sake: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ (the Elohim) sakes. 29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.
How do we then connect this to the sighting of the moon to begin the month or the year?
Genesis 1: 14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: 15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. 16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, 18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. 19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
God made two great lights. We have been told that they are for signs, seasons, days and years.
signs אות EDBH .א.ו.ת communicate; project symbol to one’s intelligence 1: signaling 2: consenting 3: communicating ideas 4: word indicating a direct object (את read more here) 5: with 6: ensign; emblem 7: miracle
Let’s stop and consider the words that have been built from this root. I’m going to jump directly to the fourth word 4: word indication a direct object את. aleph (א) is the the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, tav (ת) is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet; and in Greek it would be said the ‘Alpha (α) and Omega (Ω)’. This word את or these letters are throughout the scriptures connecting things. Just as the Messiah connected us to the Elohim this word connects actions to subjects. Please do read the article in the link above for a better understanding.
So from את comes: communication (the Word made flesh John 1), consenting (submitted himself to death Phil 2:8), communicating ideas (he only did the will of the Father John 5:19), ensign or emblem (an ensign to the nations from afar Isa 5:26) , miracle (raised from the dead)
He was the alpha and omega, the aleph and the tav, the beginning and the end, the first and the last, he was written about in the volume of the books and by all of the prophets; from Genesis to Revelation. It all points to the Messiah, The Word of The Elohim made flesh.
The point was that everything a month represents is tied together in who the Messiah is. From the counting of the month themselves to know which month to observe the Sabbath of a feast to the count of the days in a month to know the day of the Sabbath of the feast. To knowing and understanding who the Messiah is in the Feast itself. It all points to the Messiah, The One that was coming to set things aright again.
Hebrews 10:7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.
seasons מועד EDBH .י.ע.ד arrange; set specifics 1: meeting together 2: setting a time 3: arranging a marriage 4: community 5: criminal court 6: ranks of soldiers 7: meeting place 8: time to meet Yah, festival
The story of Noah tells us that the months were thirty days apart. We know this to be true because during the 40 days of rain when Noah could not have seen the moon a month was still counted as only thirty days. In fact, the whole year that Noah was in the ark was twelve months consisting of thirty days.
In Genesis 7 Noah entered the ark in the second month on the tenth day and it started raining the seventeenth day. Chapter eight verse three says one hundred fifty days had passed and verse four says it was the seventh month of the seventeenth day. 2/17-5/17 is 5 months. 150 days/5 months are 30 day months.
On a small but related rabbit trail. This is why I believe limiting a month to thirty days is correct, ONLY when the ability to see the moon has been block by atmospheric conditions. Noah was without a visible moon for the duration of the forty days yet a month was counted as completed at the thirtieth day. But if we are ever presented a day twenty-ninth or thirtieth with clear visibility and yet no moon appears we MUST wait for the moon to appear before we can declare a new month. This would be a pure sign (אות) from heaven of something significant.
David knew when the Sabbath was going to happen and he didn’t mention it in connection with the moon, the sun, or any celestial body.
1 Samuel 20:5 And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to morrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even.
So we can tell that there was a span of history when everything was divided equally into 360 day years and 30 day months.
What happened? Iniquity happened. As the covenant with Elohim was broken by both the Northern and Southern tribes, the Northern nation of Ephraim or Israel was divorced:
Jeremiah 3: 8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. 9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.
In 70 CE the Southern nation of Judah was widowed:
Lamentations 1:1 How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary! 2 She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies. 3 Judah is gone into captivity because of affliction, and because of great servitude: she dwelleth among the heathen, she findeth no rest: all her persecutors overtook her between the straits. 4 The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness.
It was sometime after this that the sun and the moon diverged their cycles in relationship to the earth so that a solar cycle and a lunar cycle were no longer equal to each other.
Isaiah 13:10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine….. 13 Therefore I will shake the heavens (quiver), and the earth shall remove(undulate, spring) out of her place (spot, locality), in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
Historical records that the Essenes who were Levites observed a solar calendar, while the temple Levites of the Messiah’s day observed a lunar calendar. What would happen other than a change in the arrangement of the celestial that could cause two sub-groups of Levites to observe two different signs (אות) in the celestials? Why would that sign change what it was doing?
Edited Tuesday January 23, 2017: Today’s news article from Israel mentions new finding on the Essene calendar and that the Levites in Jerusalem kept a lunar moon calendar while the Essenes kept a solar calendar: http://m.jpost.com/Israel-News/Culture/University-of-Haifa-researchers-decipher-mysterious-Dead-Sea-Scroll-539357
We know that the feasts and the wild aviv barley are symbols of the Messiah and the work He accomplished, the work He will do. We know that moon and month are practically interchangeable terms in scripture but until now I haven’t understood why the moon: the celestial אות (sign) that we are to follow diverge from the sun.
I believe it was prophetic. I believe it was a sign (אות) to the people and what was being communicated; the projected symbol to their intelligence was the dawning of the Messianic Period. That The Prophet, The Priest and The King that they anticipated would walk into Jerusalem on a very near day. Indeed, many were in expectation of this event, someone to redeem them from their Roman lords.
John 1:20; Lk 3: 15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not….. (read more here)
I believe that the solar year gained five days from 360 days to 365 days plus change and that the lunar year dropped five days from 360 days to 354 days plus change as a sign that The Elohim would soon send The Word made flesh. (365 + 354 = 719 / 2 = 359.5 plus change could give us an even 360 days). I believe that it was a sign (אות) to the people The Elohim would send His From-Elohim or Messiah to the earth in a short period of time. Just as Eve was taken from-Adam so would the Messiah be taken from-Elohim and also be given flesh as Eve was given flesh. These two great lights that had made their circuits in unison diverged to symbolised the coming of The Word made Flesh.
John 16:48 I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.
Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Did you see that? Yeshua referred to His Father in John 16:48 but Isaiah prophesied of Yeshua and called Yeshua ‘The everlasting Father’. Two Fathers, Two Great Lights.
Why do I can confidence that a new crescent moon is the beginning of the month rather than the conjunction or the full moon.
The WHOLE pattern of redemption is being born from darkness into light. If we walk in the way of Messiah we are called ‘children of light’. Light doesn’t begin at the full moon. Each month the moon repairs itself and grows into a whole or mature moon and we too must grow into a mature and perfect man as Elohim is perfect so we must become perfect.
Therefore all of the feasts are centered on either side of the FULL MONTH. Month one: 10th: the choosing of the lamb, 15th: the week of UB, Wave Sheaf. 7/1 Teruah, 10th Yom Kippur, 15-22 Sukkot. The people that sat in darkness have seen a great light, the symbol of the Messiah, the full moon. It makes no sense to have His feasts that represent Him on the dark nights of the month which is what you achieve if you count forward fifteen days from the full moon.
1 Thessalonians 5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
There are no scriptural references that firmly state the new crescent moon is the rosh chodesh (head of the month). However, the Torah not only speaks to us in scriptures but it speaks patterns to us. Remember that the people the bible was written about and written to didn’t own codexes, they needed very simple cycles of understanding in their lives. Again, if we belong to the Messiah we are Children of Light seeking to mature, to be perfect, well formed and complete as He is perfect.
In order to understand my physical evidence that we are to observe a crescent moon I must tell you some of the things that Josephus said about where the Temple of Herod stood.
“Historian Flavius Josephus wrote that the entirety of the temple was indeed in total ruin and destruction after 70 AD. He went on to say that if he had not personally been in Jerusalem during the war and witnessed the demolition by Titus of the temple that took place there, he wouldn’t have believed it ever existed. In Josephus (Jewish Wars, VII, 1.1) it speaks of widespread destruction in all Jerusalem as well. Archaeology and eye-witness evidence suggests that Jerusalem was destroyed so severely that not much of it was left. However, the foundation walls of what we call today the traditional Temple Mount would not, in all likelihood, be included in the manifest of any destroyed edifices because it was Roman-owned and would be considered separate from Jerusalem by Josephus.” Read more.
Josephus said that the “Lower City” which was once the site of the elevated Citadel (called the Akra or the City of David) was on a ridge shaped like a crescent moon. That is, when one observed this ridge from the Mount of Olives, it appeared “crescent-shaped” in a north to south view and its “horns” pointed toward the Kidron Valley (east). The northern “horn” would have been near the present southern wall of the Haram esh-Sharif and the southern “horn” just north of the confluence of the Valley of Hinnom. The exact center of this “crescent-shaped” ridge would have been at the Ophel Mound directly over the Gihon Spring.
War of the Jews, Book 5, Ch 4, vs 1 : The city of Jerusalem was fortified with three walls, on such parts as were not encompassed with unpassable valleys; for in such places it had but one wall. The city was built upon two hills, which are opposite to one another, and have a valley to divide them asunder; at which valley the corresponding rows of houses on both hills end. Of these hills, that which contains the upper city is much higher, and in length more direct. Accordingly, it was called the “Citadel,” by king David; he was the father of that Solomon who built this temple at the first; but it is by us called the “Upper Market-place.” But the other hill, which was called “Acra,” and sustains the lower city, is of the shape of a moon when she is horned; over against this there was a third hill, but naturally lower than Acra, and parted formerly from the other by a broad valley. However, in those times when the Asamoneans reigned, they filled up that valley with earth, and had a mind to join the city to the temple. They then took off part of the height of Acra, and reduced it to be of less elevation than it was before, that the temple might be superior to it. Now the Valley of the Cheesemongers, as it was called, and was that which we told you before distinguished the hill of the upper city from that of the lower, extended as far as Siloam; for that is the name of a fountain which hath sweet water in it, and this in great plenty also. But on the outsides, these hills are surrounded by deep valleys, and by reason of the precipices to them belonging on both sides they are every where unpassable.
The horn of Mount Zion point to the east, so how do we determine if the crescent moon is waxing (gaining or growing) or waning (diminishing or fading)? The books of Psalm talks about Mount Zion.
Psalms 48:1 {A Song and Psalm for the sons of Korah.} Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. 2 Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King. 3God is known in her palaces for a refuge.
The City of David where the Temples of our Elohim stood was a ridge with two peaks. The upper or northern peak and ‘horn’ was one peak. The lower and southern peak and ‘horn’ was another peak. If we as the Psalmist says approach Mount Zion from the north horn where the Ophel ridge is and the Temple sat then the horns of the moon form a waxing (gaining or growing moon) or a new crescent moon.
It’s probably this very reason that the Levites who stayed in Jerusalem after the Essenes left for the Qumran Caves at the Dead Sea kept a new crescent moon sighting to start the month rather than using a solar calendar.
Moreover, the horns of the crescent ridge face EAST. This is very important because when I wait for the New Moon sliver each month I face south and when the waxing (growing) New Moon sliver appears it’s horn are also facing EAST! Only a waning moon’s horns face west.
This is a photo of a new moon sliver that I took. I am facing southwardly. The horns of the moon are pointing east, just as in the photo above. In the photo about the orientation is of a person facing NORTH so the horns in that photo are still north-facing.
As we have seen the entire structure of the years and months in the biblical calendar is to teach us about who the Messiah our Bridegroom is. Just like the parable of the Ten Virgins we must watch the signs (אות) of our coming Bridegroom and have our lamps trimmed and waiting for His appearing.
This is the time of the calling of the Bride; many are called by the Father, but few are chosen by Yeshua Messiah. We must know Him and be known by Him. I wholly believe setting the calendar by the appearing of the lesser light in the night in the form of a new crescent moon is the sign of the Messiah in our age.
We’ve left one small portion of the creation of man and woman unaddressed so I want to go bad and pick that small portion.
Genesis 2: 23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh
והיו לבשר אחד
Literally said it is : will be to the flesh one. What was divided will become one flesh again.
1 Corinthians 15:27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
There coming a time when the misalignment of the sun and moon will be realign. Currently the constellation Betula (the virgin) has the moon to one side and the sun is not directly over the top of her.
Revelation 12: 1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.
This next photo is of the current position of the sun and moon in relation to Betula, or as the world calls it Virgo.
When Revelation 12:1 happens the sun and the moon will more than likely be again in the same circuit. But for now, we watch for the new crescent moon, we watch for the earliest wild aviv barley firstfruits and we watch and wait for our Messiah which is who these signs (אות) represent.